A SEIZED engine cost Chris Harris the chance of further improving his Grand Prix position as ex-Coventry man Andreas Jonsson was the surprise winner in Copenhagen.

Harris was well-placed with four points after two rides of the Danish GP, but he then suffered the mechanical failure on the start-line in Heat 9 - a race which had offered the potential of at least a second place.

With an outside start against Greg Hancock, Leigh Adams and Jason Crump in his fourth ride, Harris dropped away from the top eight on the night and finished with five points.

His Buildbase Bees team-mate Scott Nicholls was closer to the semi-finals having scored in every ride, but his seven points were one short of the mark required.

Nicholls was overtaken by Harris in one of the moves of the night in thei second rides, and the Coventry captain himself showed plenty of bravery in squeezing past Hancock on the line for second place in Heat 12.

But third places in his last two outings saw Nicholls overhauled by wildcard Kenneth Bjerre, Tomasz Gollob and eventual winner Jonsson, who looked anything but the victor with just three points from his opening three rides.

Series leader Nicki Pedersen was furious to be excluded from Heat 2 for touching the tapes but happier when Hancock, one of his chief rivals, failed to make the semi-finals.

With defending champion Jason Crump again subdued, Leigh Adams looked the most likely winner, especially when Hans Andersen was eliminated in controversial circumstances in the second semi-final.

Andersen had led comfortably when Antonio Lindback crashed out, and in the re-run Jonsson's back-straight inside move resulted in slight contact with Andersen which broke the Dane's chain.

Jonsson then produced a blinding ride to make it to the front in the Final ahead of Pedersen and Adams for his second Grand Prix win - although in a quirk of the new scoring system, Adams actually took two more points than the Swede from the meeting.

Pedersen's overall lead over Adams is now down to 13 points with seven rounds remaining, with Andersen a further seven behind in third place.

Harris holds a comfortable sixth place, still with a seven point cushion in the all-important top eight -whilst Nicholls is 12 points away from eighth-placed Gollob in joint-twelfth overall.